The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) as an accreditation body (AB) to provide services under the EPA’s Formaldehyde Emissions Standards for Composite Wood Products rule.

ANSI is one of four ABs recognized by EPA to provide accreditation services under the final rule, which is intended to reduce exposure to formaldehyde emissions from certain wood products produced domestically or imported into the United States. The rule includes formaldehyde emission standards applicable to hardwood plywood, medium-density fiberboard, and particleboard, and finished goods containing these products, that are sold, supplied, offered for sale, or manufactured (including imported) in the United States.

Published in a February Federal Register notice, the final rule also establishes a third-party certification program for hardwood plywood, medium-density fiberboard, and particleboard and includes procedures for the accreditation of third-party certifiers (TCPs) and general requirements for accreditation bodies and TCPs.

"Accreditation assures industry and government decision-makers that the organizations are competent and their results can be trusted," said Lane Hallenbeck, vice president, accreditation services, ANSI. “We are pleased to be recognized by EPA for this important global emissions effort.”

ANSI’s accreditation program meets the requirements of ISO/IEC 17011, Conformity assessment - General requirements for accreditation bodies accrediting conformity assessment bodies, which represents the highest internationally accepted practices for accreditation bodies. The Institute’s portfolio of accreditation services includes programs for all types of certification and verification bodies, including those for products, personnel, and greenhouse gas emissions as well as standards developers.

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a private non-profit organization whose mission is
to enhance U.S. global competitiveness and the American quality of life by promoting, facilitating, and safeguarding the integrity of the voluntary standardization and conformity assessment system. Its membership is comprised of businesses, professional societies and trade associations, standards developers, government agencies, and consumer and labor organizations. The Institute represents the diverse interests of more than 125,000 companies and organizations and 3.5 million professionals worldwide.

The Institute is the official U.S. representative to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and, via the U.S. National Committee, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).